Luggala

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Luggala Log an Lágh
Luggala behind Lough Tay.
Elevation	595 m (1952 ft)
Location	County Wicklow, Ireland
Range	Wicklow Mountains
Coordinates	53°06′21″N, 6°17′01″W
Topo map	OSi Discovery 56
Easiest route	Wicklow Way, from R759 north
OSI/OSNI grid reference	O178103
Pronunciation	[Lugg-a-LAW]

Luggala (Irish: Log an Lágh, meaning Hollow of the Hill; also called Fancy Mountain)^[1]^[2] is a 595 m mountain in the Wicklow Mountains, in Ireland. Its cliffs are situated above a lake, Lough Tay, and are a popular location for rock climbing.

1 Luggala Estate
2 Rock climbing
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Luggala Estate

The mountain forms a part of the 2500-hectare Luggala Estate (also known as the Guinness Estate), which is owned by wealthy arts patron Garech Browne, a member of the Guinness family. The buildings on the estate, including the luxurious Luggala Lodge, used to be rented commercially for much of the year.^[3] The estate has been used as the location of some major films, including Zardoz and Excalibur.

In September 2007, it was reported that Michael Jackson had purchased the estate for €20 million, after an extended three month stay there earlier in the year.^[4]

[edit] Rock climbing

A climber on Clingon (three pitches, grade VS/4c), beneath the Great Roof on Luggala's Main Face.

The granite crag on Luggala has been popular with rock climbers ever since the first routes were established by members of the Irish Mountaineering Club in 1949. It is, however, not as popular as Glendalough, despite being of comparable quality and size, and closer to Dublin. The current guidebook, published in 1993, lists about 160 routes; grades go up to E5 and lengths up to 160m, but 60m (two pitches) at HVS/5a is fairly typical. The climbing is generally good quality, with excellent friction, but the routes can often follow meandering lines and be hard to find. Protection varies; in accordance with Irish climbing ethics, bolts are not used.^[5]

The crag can be approached though the main entrance of the Luggala estate, skirting the lakeshore, but many climbers, not wishing to intrude on the residents' privacy, prefer to approach from the high-level road at the back of the mountain, doing a short uphill hike before descending a gully to the base of the crag.